The Buffalo Bills’ starting defense will look much different under new coach Sean McDermott’s 4-3 scheme than the hybrid 3-4 defensive front Rex Ryan ran for the last two seasons.

Each position in the front seven has new responsibilities and roles. Those who separate themselves from the competition during training camp will earn starting jobs, even if it means unseating a seasoned veteran.

The linebacker battle is the most intriguing positional battle to track, with all three positions essentially up for grabs.

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Middle Linebacker

Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Preston Brown has played in all 48 possible games for the Bills ever since he was selected in the third-round of the 2014 NFL draft. He has experience at all three linebacker positions, despite his 6-foot-1, 251-pound frame leading many to pigeonhole him solely as a “MIKE.”

Last season, Brown recorded 135 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one pass breakup and one forced fumble as an inside linebacker. 2017 is a contract year for the 24-year old Louisville product, but he’ll be competing for his starting role with Reggie Ragland.

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Ragland, the Bills’ second-round pick from one year ago, missed his entire rookie season after suffering a torn ACL during training camp but is back and ready to fight for a starting job.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Fraizer has previously stated that there was an opportunity for both Brown and Ragland to play on the outside, as long as they were part of the best eleven players on the defensive side of the ball.

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“You’ve got three linebackers on the field and we hope that we’ll try to mesh the right three in our 4-3 scheme and maybe that’ll be Lorenzo (Alexander) and Preston together or maybe it’ll be a different configuration,” said Frazier. “You always want to get your 11 best on the field and I believe that those guys (Brown and Ragland) will be part of our best 11.”